President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of “crimes against humanity” after a new missile barrage caused a blackout in Ukraine.
He told the UN Security Council via video link that the Russian “formula of terror” has forced “millions of people to live in sub-zero cold “without power, without heat, without water”.
Ukraine said at least seven people were killed in the attacks.
Nuclear power plants went offline.
Three plants still under Ukrainian control were disconnected from the grid and the Zaporizhia plant, Europe’s largest, was forced to rely again on diesel generators to power its cooling system and critical safety equipment.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has expressed serious concern about the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia plant, which has been damaged by repeated shelling.
Neighboring Moldova also experienced a widespread blackout on Wednesday, but was not directly affected.
With the onset of winter, Moscow has stepped up attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
Officials say Russia’s missile attacks on power stations have caused “tremendous” damage and more than half of the country’s grid is in need of repair.
Late on Wednesday, Mr Zelenskiy said the situation in Kyiv was “extremely difficult” and that efforts to restore power would continue through the night.
Mayor Vitaly Klitschko said at least 80 percent of the capital’s residents do not have electricity or running water.
But Mr Zelenskiy said some other cities hit by Russian missiles had managed to restore power, including Lviv, Odesa and Cherkasy.
‘Cowardly and inhumane’
The US ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas Greenfield, said Russian President Vladimir Putin was “weaponizing winter” to inflict immense suffering.
“After struggling on the battlefield, Moscow is now adopting a cowardly and inhumane strategy that punishes Ukrainian men, women and children,” he said.
In the southern Zaporizhzhya region, a newborn baby was killed when a missile hit a maternity unit, emergency services said.
Ukraine’s armed forces commander General Valery Zlozny said Moscow had fired 67 cruise missiles, 51 of which were successfully intercepted by air defenses.
Ukraine’s military said Russia had also redeployed attack drones.
